Agenda item

To consider the implications of the recently elected Government’s proposals upon the District Council.

Ms C Holloway. Corporate Programme Director of the Local Government Association will speak on the subject and will answer any questions that Members may have.

The Chairman welcomed Ms Claire Holloway, Corporate Programme Director at the Local Government Association (LGA) to the meeting.  With the assistance of a powerpoint presentation, Ms Holloway addressed the Council on the Association’s perception of the new coalition government’s plans for local government.  A copy of the LGA Briefing Note on the budget also was circulated to Members (copies of both documents are appended in the Minute Book).

The presentation described the origins and current role of the LGA and the LGA Group, the latter including other organisations that lobbied for, reported, supported and improved local government.  Members were apprised of the Government’s announcements thus far, their general effect and the likely implications for district council services.  Ms Holloway further described her understanding of the measures likely to be covered in the proposed De-centralisation and Localism Bill and other draft legislation which potentially might be introduced in the short-term.  In concluding her address, Ms Holloway outlined to Members the offer made to the Government on behalf of the sector to secure a programme of savings, greater efficiencies and ideas for devolution which should secure a more streamlined relationship between local and national government.

Councillor P J Downes opened the debate by thanking Ms Holloway for her presentation and by asking for her view on the Government’s intentions in respect of the Revenue Support Grant (RSG) and parish council precepts.  Although these issues had yet to be clarified, Ms Holloway understood that RSG would be cut and it was the Government’s preference that council tax levels should be frozen.  However, she added that this might not apply to parish council precepts and that she would have to seek clarification after the meeting.  On the same subject, Councillor T V Rogers suggested that the LGA might consider, in negotiations with the Government, alternative means for calculating RSG.

In response to a question from Councillor P L E Bucknell regarding fortnightly refuse collections, Ms Holloway replied that it appeared that the Government were not moving away from the idea of fortnightly collections but wished to ask local councils to introduce incentives which would encourage residents to further increase the proportion of household waste which could be recycled.

Regarding the future of the regional spatial strategies, and in answer to a question from Councillor Mrs M Banerjee, Ms Holloway undertook to respond after the meeting on what, if anything, was proposed for RSS.

Mention was made by Councillor G S E Thorpe of performance-related pay and incentive schemes and Ms Holloway confirmed that salary scales negotiated nationally did not include performance-related pay.

Councillor Downes referred to the planning implications of the proposed “free schools” proposals, questioned the source of their funding, their governance arrangements and the role of the District Council in the event for example of a proposal to use a vacant shop unit in a town centre for this purpose.  In the absence of further details in this respect, the Chief Executive anticipated that specific planning regulations might need to be formulated to respond to ‘free school’ applications.

The Leader, Councillor I C Bates commented on several issues which had been raised at the meeting mentioning, in particular, the low level of the District Council’s council tax currently, the welcomed decision to abolish quangos and the RSS and the move towards more local democracy.  Ms Holloway confirmed that it appeared that powers on housing and planning would be returned to local councils based on the principle that a local area knew best how to deliver local services.

Following questions from Councillor P D Reeve, Ms Holloway confirmed that 70% of legislation formulated by the European Council affected local authorities and that it was her expectation that there would be no increase in nationally negotiated salary scales for 2010/11.  She added that, in her view some local councils were sufficiently capable to take responsibility for additional services and confirmed that the LGA was funded by subscription.

On behalf of the Council, Councillor Bates thanked Ms Holloway for attending the Council meeting and for the interesting insight to the Government’s further direction that she was able to provide.